The United States economy is continuing its longest streak of consecutive positive monthly job growth at 94 months, with 3.9 million jobs created since President Donald J. Trump was elected in November 2016.

Although the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) monthly Employment Situation Report shows that nonfarm payroll employment rose by 157,000 jobs in July, falling short of expectations, the average job growth per month is 215,000 for 2018—exceeding average monthly gains in 2016 (195K) and 2017 (182K)—once cumulative positive revisions to May and June are included.

Department of Justice Tribal Access Program Will Continue to Improve the Exchange of Critical Data To Solve Crimes and Strengthen Public Safety in Indian Country

The Department of Justice has expanded the Tribal Access Program (TAP), a program providing federally recognized Tribes the ability to access and exchange data with the national crime information databases for both civil and criminal purposes.

The department will accept applications from Aug. 1 to Oct. 1, 2018. Interested Tribes may apply by using this link: http://www.justice.gov/tribal/tribal-access-program-fy-2019-application. Tribes that are selected for participation will be notified by Oct. 15, 2018, and deployment activities will begin shortly thereafter; deployment to all selected Tribes will be completed by Sept. 30, 2019.

Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. and several of its affiliates (Wells Fargo) will pay a civil penalty of $2.09 billion under the Financial Institutions Reform, Recovery, and Enforcement Act of 1989 (FIRREA) based on the bank’s alleged origination and sale of residential mortgage loans that it knew contained misstated income information and did not meet the quality that Wells Fargo represented. Investors, including federally insured financial institutions, suffered billions of dollars in losses from investing in residential mortgage-backed securities (RMBS) containing loans originated by Wells Fargo.

Three high-ranking members of a sophisticated international cybercrime group operating out of Eastern Europe have been arrested and are currently in custody facing charges filed in U.S. District Court in Seattle.

According to three federal indictments, Ukrainian nationals Dmytro Fedorov, 44, Fedir Hladyr, 33, and Andrii Kolpakov, 30, are members of a prolific hacking group widely known as FIN7 (also referred to as the Carbanak Group and the Navigator Group, among other names). Since at least 2015, FIN7 members engaged in a highly sophisticated malware campaign targeting more than 100 U.S. companies, predominantly in the restaurant, gaming, and hospitality industries. As set forth in indictments, FIN7 hacked into thousands of computer systems and stole millions of customer credit and debit card numbers, which the group used or sold for profit.

"We will deliver relief to American workers, families, and small businesses, who right now are being crushed by Obamacare, by increasing freedom, choice, and opportunity for the American people."
President Donald J. Trump

CREATING NEW HEALTHCARE PLANS: President Trump’s new rules on short-term, limited-duration health plans will increase health insurance options for Americans.

On August 1, 2018, the Departments of Health and Human Services, Labor, and Treasury issued their final rule on short-term, limited-duration health plans.
The new rule allows for the sale and renewal of short-term, limited-duration plans that cover longer periods than the previous maximum of less than three months.
Coverage under short-term, limited-duration plans can now cover an initial period of less than 12 months, with an option to extend the coverage to a maximum duration of 36 months. more...

The Federal Trade Commission and the State of Florida have charged a Florida man and his company with tricking business owners into buying labor law posters by sending mailers that mimic invoices from a government agency or authority.

Thomas Henry Fred, Jr. and Starwood Consulting LLC, also doing business as Corporate Compliance Services, sent the mailers to newly established businesses. The notices directed them to pay $84 for posters and warned that, “Failure to comply with posting regulations can lead to fines of up to $17,000.” To convince businesses that the mailers were invoices that must be paid, the mailers cited multiple federal statutes and listed a “Business ID” number and a response deadline.